Ableton Forum

Hi there,

Noob alert. I'm sorry... don't know where to begin.

I'm looking into investing in a DAW with Ableton at the heart of it. I'm at the very beginning of my investigation, so please be nice!

One of my main concerns is the ability to get a quality recording out of a system like this as opposed to Pro Tools, Cubase or some other DAW setup.

I really enjoy music that has a high quality, crisp and clean sound to it. When I listen to artists like "Bliss", "Markus Guentner", "Jean F. Cochois", "Royksopp", "Deaf Center", "Junior Boys" and "Helios", I really enjoy the clarity and production values of the recordings.

Is Ableton Live able to produce top notch recordings as some of the artists above?

I already own a duo-core computer, tons of RAM, etc. I have about $2000 or so to spend on a DAW system, but I'm willing to go higher. My musical tastes are in the vein of the artists above.

Other than field recordings, I won't be using too much external instrumentation... at least for now. Possibly some guitar and piano down the road (I play both).

Any advice out there as to what I should do?

Thanks for putting up with yet another noob.

What gives you the idea that live's sound quality should be any differnt to any other DAW?

Lemme rephrase my question.

Which, if ANY, DAW will help give me a sound like the above said artists?

What do they use? Are there any famous artists that I could reference that use Ableton?

Short answer: yes.

Long answer: yes, but it wont do it for you. No DAW is a substitute for talent and skill.

the good thing about being a n00b is that you're years from being able to tell the difference.

there's a demo version of Live available on their site, check it out.

try a few demos and use whichever program you got along with the best. IMO Live is easy to pick up (leave the help box open in the lower left corner, watch the videos on this site) and it's just damn fun to PLAY with.

seriously, sound quality is GREAT with ALL DAWs, that's the last thing you need to focus on.

yes, Live can make great sounding recordings, it's not even an issue.

@Tone Deft. Thanks for the feedback. I realize I'm years from telling a difference, maybe... just don't want to shell out $2K on a system only to find at the end of the road the production quality is not up to snuff.

@Laird: I realize it won't "do it for me".


Thanks again everyone...

Yes, Live will produce quality sound...what that quality is exactly is all about you.

be sure to get yourself a quality sound card, that's the link into and out of your DAW. it also determines the latency in and out of your system. that's a key place to spend money. after that, quality monitors (powered speakers).

then shop for keyboard controllers, that's essential even if you can't play keys.

I'd suggest not buying a bunch of new gear at once, you won't learn it all. buy just what you need, LEARN IT, consider what might help you, buy THAT, LEARN IT, and so on.

for now the DAWs are free if you use demos. I ditched Acid and Sonar for Live years ago and never looked back. I couldn't imagine using another DAW, session view is just too much fun.

if you ever record guitar and piano, the DAW's got little to do with it, the mic and pre just about everything. and second the "if you have to ask you won't notice" comments.

AnalogBalrog wrote: I really enjoy music that has a high quality, crisp and clean sound to it. When I listen to artists like "Bliss", "Markus Guentner", "Jean F. Cochois", "Royksopp", "Deaf Center", "Junior Boys" and "Helios", I really enjoy the clarity and production values of the recordings.

This has almost nothing to do with the choice of recording software used, and almost everything to do with the hardware used, and the skill with the tools.

One thing I will say compared to other DAW's (I've used a few) is that using the session view in Live feels more like a 'jamming instrument' than a DAW. Nothing else comes close. If you're a musician, you should feel at home..

Forget about sound quality a while and have some fun with Live

AnalogBalrog wrote:"Bliss", "Markus Guentner", "Jean F. Cochois", "Royksopp", "Deaf Center", "Junior Boys" and "Helios", I really enjoy the clarity and production values of the recordings.

One of the most funniest things I ever read (and believe me: I read a lot of crap). Cause those artist I guess use Fruity Loops and Music-Maker. Its easy to get a high, sharpened clean sound if you you just manipulate samples with EQ and Limiting. No dependence to the DAW.

Regarding the hardware it is true for Instruments and Vocals. A mic under 1000€ won´t make it, similar with preamp and A/D. Don´t waste time with cheap allrounders called "soundcards" or "interfaces" that the industry tries to catch you with by strong but unfullfilled promise. Seperate and specialized elements make a good chain, which always is the essential base for ambitious production. Monitors should be ok too, but also headphones and especially the patience, to listen to your sound on as many as possible systems. Mp3 player, kitchen radio, cheap standard hifi-systems or carradio. Cause its easy to get a good sound with expensive monitors, but its hard to feel well when you hear it on a customers device.

OP: going straight to the heart of your query - the whole "can Live produce great audio quality" debate is a contentious issue...to say the least.

Rest assured, it can.

As other posters note - the rest of the signal chain, leading right back to yourself and your talent/ideas, is the most important point to consider.

Yeah, your ears will go through a amazing kind of school and after a while you won´t listen to the listed artists. Not that they sound really bad, but there is still a lot to explore.

its upto the end users.

i strongly believe in the right hands you will get better results from a behdinger mic + preamp + average soundcard + ableton than you would with Pro Tools HD + Neuman + Avalon microphones in the wrong hands